Quinoa vs. Cucumber
Nutrition comparison of Cooked Quinoa and Cucumber
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
cooked
quinoa
versus
cucumber
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in quinoa and cucumber:
- Cucumber has 4.8 times less carbohydrates than quinoa.
- Cucumber has more beta-carotene than quinoa, however, quinoa contains more lutein + zeaxanthin than cucumber.
- Quinoa has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, Vitamin B6 and folate, however, cucumber contains more pantothenic acid.
- Quinoa is a great source of dietary fiber.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Quinoa (Quinoa, cooked) and Cucumber (Cucumber, with peel, raw) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Quinoa is high in calories and cucumber has 88% less calories than quinoa - cucumber has 15 calories per 100 grams and quinoa has 120 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, quinoa is lighter in carbs, heavier in fat and similar to cucumber for protein. Quinoa has a macronutrient ratio of 15:71:15 and for cucumber, 15:80:5 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Quinoa | Cucumber | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 15% | 15% |
| Carbohydrates | 71% | 80% |
| Fat | 15% | 5% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Cucumber has 4.8 times less carbohydrates than quinoa - cucumber has 3.6g of total carbs per 100 grams and quinoa has 21.3g of carbohydrates.
The carbs in cucumber are made of 56% sugar, 28% starch and 17% dietary fiber, whereas the carbs in quinoa comprise of 83% starch, 13% dietary fiber and 4% sugar.
dietary fiber
Quinoa is a great source of dietary fiber and it has 460% more dietary fiber than cucumber - cucumber has 0.5g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and quinoa has 2.8g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Cucumber and quinoa contain similar amounts of sugar - cucumber has 1.7g of sugar per 100 grams and quinoa has 0.87g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Quinoa has 577% more protein than cucumber - cucumber has 0.65g of protein per 100 grams and quinoa has 4.4g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both cucumber and quinoa are low in saturated fat - cucumber has 0.04g of saturated fat per 100 grams and quinoa has 0.23g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Cucumber has more Vitamin C than quinoa - cucumber has 2.8mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and quinoa does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin A
Cucumber and quinoa contain similar amounts of Vitamin A - cucumber has 5ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and quinoa does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Cucumber and quinoa contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - cucumber has 0.03mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and quinoa has 0.63mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Cucumber has more Vitamin K than quinoa - cucumber has 16.4ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and quinoa does not contain significant amounts.
The B Vitamins
Quinoa has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, Vitamin B6 and folate, however, cucumber contains more pantothenic acid.
| Quinoa | Cucumber | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.107 MG | 0.027 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.11 MG | 0.033 MG |
| Niacin | 0.412 MG | 0.098 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | ~ | 0.259 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.123 MG | 0.04 MG |
| Folate | 42 UG | 7 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Cucumber and quinoa contain similar amounts of calcium - cucumber has 16mg of calcium per 100 grams and quinoa has 17mg of calcium.
iron
Quinoa has 432% more iron than cucumber - cucumber has 0.28mg of iron per 100 grams and quinoa has 1.5mg of iron.
potassium
Cucumber and quinoa contain similar amounts of potassium - cucumber has 147mg of potassium per 100 grams and quinoa has 172mg of potassium.
Antioxidants and Phytonutrients
carotenoids
Carotenoids are micronutrients commonly found in plants and some animal products. An example is beta-carotene, the notable carotenoid which is a popular source of Vitamin A.[4][5]
For specific types of carotenoids, cucumber has more beta-carotene than quinoa per 100 grams, however, quinoa contains more lutein + zeaxanthin than cucumber per 100 grams.
| Quinoa | Cucumber | |
|---|---|---|
| beta-carotene | 3 UG | 45 UG |
| lutein + zeaxanthin | 53 UG | 23 UG |
| alpha-carotene | ~ | 11 UG |
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, quinoa has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) and DHA than cucumber per 100 grams.
| Quinoa | Cucumber | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.085 G | 0.005 G |
| DHA | 0.015 G | ~ |
| Total | 0.1 G | 0.005 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, quinoa has more linoleic acid than cucumber per 100 grams.
| Quinoa | Cucumber | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.974 G | 0.028 G |
| other omega 6 | 0.003 G | ~ |
| Total | 0.977 G | 0.028 G |
Customize your serving size
The comparison below is by common portions, e.g. cups, packages. You can also see a more concrete comparison by weight at equal weight (by grams) comparison.
Cooked Quinoa g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Cucumber g
()
|
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KCAL % |
|
5% | calories | 5% |
|
KCAL % | |
| G % |
|
5% | carbohydrates | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G % |
|
5% | dietary fiber | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G | 5% | sugar | 5% | G | |||
| G % |
|
5% | total fat | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G % |
|
5% | saturated fat | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G | 5% | monounsaturated fat | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | polyunsaturated fat | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | trans fat | 5% | G | |||
| MG | 5% | cholesterol | 5% | MG | |||
| MG % |
|
5% | sodium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| 5% | Vitamins and Minerals | 5% | |||||
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin A | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin C | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| IU % |
|
5% | Vitamin D | 5% |
|
IU % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | calcium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | iron | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | magnesium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | potassium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | thiamin (Vit B1) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | riboflavin (Vit B2) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | niacin (Vit B3) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin B6 | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | pantothenic acid (Vit B5) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | folate (Vit B9) | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin B12 | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin E | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin K | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| G % |
|
5% | protein | 5% |
|
G % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | biotin (Vit B7) | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | choline | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | chlorine | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | chromium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | copper | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | fluoride | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | iodine | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | manganese | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | molybdenum | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | phosphorus | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | selenium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | zinc | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| G | 5% | Water | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | Starch | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | Alcohol | 5% | G | |||
FAQ
Does cucumber or quinoa contain more calories in 100 grams?Quinoa is high in calories and cucumber has 90% less calories than quinoa - cucumber has 15 calories in 100g and quinoa has 120 calories.
Does cucumber or quinoa have more carbohydrates?
By weight, cucumber has 4.8 times fewer carbohydrates than quinoa - cucumber has 3.6g of carbs for 100g and quinoa has 21.3g of carbohydrates. the carbs in cucumber are made of 60% sugar, 30% starch and 20% dietary fiber, whereas the carbs in quinoa comprise of 80% starch, 10% dietary fiber and 0% sugar.